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Red Lentil Dahl

I made this the other night going off of this recipe. Canned dahl soup is one of our favorite fast meals in the winter. We just heat up the soup and eat it over rice. One can makes 2 servings for us. But I've wanted to make my own since I figured it should be too hard. When I came across this, it looked just like the dahl we get in the can. I've made it a couple times but this past time we made it a little different. I wanted to share our new version of this since the hubby said this was better than the stuff in the can. Also, it's super easy to make. It can be made in an hour or less, depending on how long your rice cooks. It's got some good Indian flavors and letting the onions and garlic cook, I think really helped the flavors stand out. Also, though, I have to admit that I didn't measure out my spices last night. These are guess-timates. Just use your judgement for how strong you want your spices. You probably also want to serve a vegetable or some other side with this, or double the recipe since this doesn't make a lot. 

Red Lentil Dahl


Serves 2, with rice

1/2 cup red lentils
2 cups water
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 T fresh, minced garlic
1 cup diced onion
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
pinch of ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt

Combine the lentils and the water in a medium sized pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 25 minutes until tender (or looks like mush).
While lentils are cooking, heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium/low heat. Add the spices and cook for about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the garlic and onion, cook at a low temperature for a few minutes. You want the garlic and onions to soak up the seasonings and caramelize. Once the lentils are cooked, add them to the onion mixture.  If you need to, you can turn the heat off on the onion mixture until the lentils are done.
Stir to combine everything, season with sea salt and pepper and then serve. You may need to add more water while they cook to reach your desired consistency.
Serve over rice. 

You could also add a diced jalapeno or other pepper to the mixture. If I used a jalapeno, I would add it with the onion and garlic and omit the cayenne. 

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